It's Not Fair
by Foxy121
Summary: After the happenings in "The Forbidden Trail", things have yet to settle down. Frank is trying deal with the fact that Joe might lose his leg, and still be the unshakable older brother, strong one for everyone involved. How long can he be the shoulder to cry on when he so desperately needs support? This should probably be K but it's rated T, descriptions might get slightly gory.
1. Chapter 1

**Helllooooooooo! I am back! (ominous music) (thunder crashes)**

**Two-shots rule guys! So I intend for this to be a two-shot. Could evolve into more though. Anything left unsettled by the end of this shall probably be resolved in yet another two-shot... ;)**

**Please review! Reviews are life to my body!**

**Sorry for the Joe angst that you find in every other fic, but it was inevitable. (:**

**I don't have a skull. Or bones.**

**I also don't own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys.**

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The lights of the city illuminated Frank Hardy's face as he stared out the window. Cars honked distantly every once in awhile. Well, at least he knew there were other people awake at 3:00 am.

He'd been trying to sleep on the couch, but it was no use. Even without the dreams that plagued him, the couch might as well be hewn out of rock. Turning around, he walked back across the dark room.

Earlier in the day it had been easier to be happy. He, Bess and George had alternated between the two rooms, talking, hanging out and laughing with Nancy and Joe while Nancy recovered from her burns and Joe waited for the final diagnosis on his leg.

But now, with everyone fast asleep, he was without comfort.

Frank sighed deeply as he watched Joe sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed. _Wonder what he's dreaming of? _Then he shuddered. What they'd been through during the last few days was a nightmare in itself.

Sitting down in a light blue armchair by Joe's IV stand, Frank let his head drop into his hands. Every time he closed his eyes, the same scene replayed itself.

_Frank looked around wildly. Falling rocks, large stones crashing and rolling all around them… Dust… _

_He heard Joe cry out sharply, and faintly heard Nancy scream at the same time. What happened? Where were they? "Nancy? Joe?" he yelled, his voice raw. Fear made his stomach tight. _

_Finally everything settled. He could feel his pulse racing. _

_Frank stared in shock at the debris around him. How could they have survived?_

_ "Frank!" he heard a muffled cry._

_"Nancy!" Frank's heart beat wildly as he ran over to a large uneven boulder._

_"Under here!" _

_"Joe?!"_

_They were both trapped underneath the same boulder._

_"Okay guys, stay calm. I'm going to try to shift this rock," Frank shouted. He braced his shoulder up against the rough stone and pushed steadily. The boulder was uneven, and tilted slowly away from him._

_"Aaah!"_

_Frank stopped immediately at Joe's voice. "What is it?"_

_"It's pinning down my leg! Any farther and it'll break!"_

_"Alright," Frank panted, "I'll try the other way." He didn't get very far before he heard Nancy scream._

_"Nancy, what's wrong?" he called._

_"It's pressing down – on my chest – I can't breathe!" her voice sounded breathy and panicked._

_His thoughts spinning wildly, Frank eased the weight back to the middle. He couldn't free either one of them. And the boulder wouldn't tip sideways, and he couldn't lift it… What could he do?_

_"Frank, just do it," Joe said urgently._

_"What?!"_

_"Push the boulder onto my leg. It's the only way."_

_"I can't do that to you!"_

_"You can let both of us die, you can kill Nancy, or you can let my leg break. Your choice." Joe said flatly._

_Reluctantly, Frank acknowledged his little brother's point. "How come you have to make sense every once in a while?"_

_"It's my job. Now hurry!" Joe pleaded._

_"Isn't there anything else we can do?" Nancy's voice came._

_"No, Nancy. It'll be okay," Joe called back._

_"Ready?" Frank's hands shook a little bit as he touched the boulder. He could hardly bear to even think of hurting Joe._

_"Ready."_

_"I'm sorry," Frank whispered as he braced his body against the rock. Taking a deep breath, he shut his eyes, clenched his teeth, and shoved._

_The boulder rocked away from him, and Joe's agonized scream burst from beneath._

A shaky sigh escaped from his lips. If he was being honest, doing that to Joe had probably hurt himself more than his little brother.

No, he wasn't blaming himself much – there was nothing else he could've done – and Frank wasn't one to deny the logic of their solution. But feelings overrode his logic sometimes, fantasizing that if he'd tried hard enough, maybe he would've been able to save his baby brother from harm.

"Good thing you can't read my thoughts," Frank said softly, even though he knew Joe couldn't hear him. "You'd tell me to shut up, stop being stupid, and quit thinking of you as my baby brother. Well, Joey, we may both be teenagers, but you'll always be the little kid." He gave a small chuckle, remembering how Joe had "found" him and Nancy when they were being taken captive by the horse fighting gang.

_"Doctor Matthews just talked to me, since you were asleep." George said. " It's about Joe."_

_Joe? Was something wrong?_

_His heart clenching in fear, Frank sat up. "What did he say?"_

_George swallowed hard, crystal tears welling up in her eyes. She seemed to be trying to find the right words to say._

_Frank's heart pounded rapidly. Something was very wrong. "George."_

_Nancy's friend sighed shakily and sat down on the bed. "Frank… Joe's leg is worse than any of us thought. It's been damaged so badly that – that…"_

_He grabbed both of George's hands, staring at her. He couldn't breathe. Her gaze slid away from his._

_"Frank, they want to amputate it."_

Heaving another sigh, Frank placed his hand on the bedsheets next to Joe's shoulder, almost touching, but not wanting to wake him up.

"This sucks, little brother," Frank whispered. "You're seventeen. We're both not even close to adults. You're not out of high school yet. You've got your whole life to live – without your right leg below the knee?"

He closed his eyes again, against his better judgment. All of the times Joe had lay nearly dead in a hospital, the times Joe had been tortured rather than betray his brother, the kidnappings, the bombs, flew through Frank's mind like in a horrifying slideshow.

An image of a laughing sixteen-year-old with dark hair, hugging Joe tight. Iola.

With a strangled sob, Frank forced his eyes open again before the next image could come, the one he knew so well.

Joe at the scene of the car bomb, the flames high in the air, and even though he was alive, looking like the life had been sucked out of his very bones.

"You, have been through, so, much." Frank murmured, emphasizing each part of the sentence. "So much more than any guy your age _should_ have by now, or within their lifetime. More than me. Why is it always you that has to take all the crud that's thrown our way? And sometimes, it _is _my fault."

The heart monitor beeped steadily. Joe squirmed a little. Frank knew that his little brother was a "tosser" and turned over frequently in his sleep, but he couldn't due to the padded restraints strapping him onto the bed during each night so that he wouldn't further injure his leg by accident.

And Frank? The brunette, computer-savvy teen huffed bitterly. All he'd gotten were some cuts, standard dehydration, and a slight concussion. As it was, while Nancy and Joe were waiting for Frank to get help, Joe nearly _died_ of fever from the infected wound of the main compound fracture in his leg.

"I get off almost _untouched,_ and you get all the pain, nearly every. Single. Time. _It's not fair!" _Frank choked, his eyes filling with tears.

But there was no answer in the dark room, and Frank continued listening to the heart monitor until he fell into a fitful sleep.

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**Poor Frank! Poor Joe! Poor readers! Which means, most likely, poor me... (steps discreetly out of reach of various objects being hurled my direction)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Sorry for the Malfunction** **in the update! I freaked out when I realized what had happened. Hopefully it'll work this time.**

*****PLOT TWIST*** Guys, THIS IS NO LONGER a two-shot! :O**

**Nope. I think it may have turned into a small firing squad. But we'll see how it ends up!**

**Soooooo, I'm not completely positive what to do about our dear blonde one's leg... I STILL cannot decide whether or not to amputate it. Amputation is easier and creates more DRAMAA, buuuut even *I* have my Cruelty limits and am rather willing to try and save his leg if y'all REALLY want... ;)**

**I do not own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. If I did I'd probably have a car.**

**Enjoy!**

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Frank dragged himself down into the small cafeteria for an over-priced, under-prepared meal the next morning with Bess and George, while Nancy and Joe fared hardly better with the food delivered to them in their rooms. He swirled a plastic spoon apathetically in his bland coffee until it turned cold.

"I'm not really hungry," Frank finally sighed and pushed his chair back from the small table with a screech. "You guys go ahead and eat."

Bess and George exchanged a worried glance, then focused their eyes on the lonely figure of the older Hardy boy walking dejectedly away.

As he walked, Frank continued to replay in his mind the scene, all the way up to the chilling _crack _of bone and his little brother's anguished scream.

Walking up to Joe's door, Frank peered in. Maybe he was sleeping.

_Scrape… Scrape…_

_What's he doing in there? _Frank wondered. For no reason, worry clenched in his throat. If he was in trouble again…

Bursting through the door, Frank ran in and stopped short.

Joe lay on the bed, sleeping.

_Then what was that noise…? Was someone in here?_

Looking around warily, Frank turned, backing towards the window by the head of Joe's bed.

A waft of fresh air registered in Frank's mind. A car horn sounding from the street nearby came clearly. He gasped and turned around, staring.

The window was open a little. _Okay, Frank, calm down. It's okay. They just cracked the window to give Joe some fresh air. No need to go into overprotective mode. Besides, this IS pretty high up. It's not like someone's going to – _

Suddenly he noticed something. Frank's eyes narrowed. Then they widened in fear and realization, his heart beginning to pound rapidly.

Crouching, Frank fingered the cleanly cut edges of the missing bottom half of the window screen. Bits of screen still littered the sill.

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***Foxy's evil laugh entered the fandom once more***


	3. Chapter 3

**Another short update. ;)**

**This turned out kind of lighthearted and funny, but don't worry, more drama ahead!**

**I do not own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys.**

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"Frank."

The oldest Hardy brother fidgeted with the car keys in his fingers. Unsettling thoughts turned themselves over and over in his mind. Should he stay in Joe's room at all times, or trade off with Bess and George? Should he request that Joe be moved to a different room, or call 911, or his dad, or should he maybe buy an automati –

"Frank!"

The voice registered in his mind, and Frank jerked his head up, meeting Joe's blue eyes. "Yeah?"

"You sure are lost in thought," his younger brother commented rather sarcastically. Then the sarcastic look changed to one of impish mischief. "You wouldn't happen to be thinking of a certain re-headed –"

"Joe, _everything's _on my mind right now," Frank groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "You, Nancy, everything that went wrong in that canyon, not to mention planning for the next few weeks."

_Not to mention what I've done to you._

"What's happening the next few weeks?" Joe yawned.

"I've talked on the phone with Dad a little. We thought about having you flown to Bayport, but agreed that we should probably stay here for a few more weeks at least."

"Good," Joe grinned. "I don't want to leave yet."

Frank's curiosity was piqued. "Why?"

"Friends. And I like being away from Bayport, honestly. River Heights is so much smaller it just feels nice to… Get away, I guess." Joe shrugged.

They lapsed into silence. Frank swallowed his worry and attempted to look normal. Now that Joe had mentioned it, he _did _want to head over to Nancy's room.

Automatically, his eyes flickered to the window.

Pulling out his phone, Frank pressed **_New Message._**

**_Recipient(s): BESS MARVIN, GEORGE FAYNE_**

**_Hey, could you guys come up to Joe's room? I don't want him to be alone, but don't tell him that. Now, don't get worried, but_**

Frank frowned in mid-text. _No. _He back-spaced until it was clear again.

**_Would you mind coming up and spending some time with Joe? I want to go talk to Nancy, but I don't want him alone, because I think that there might be problems with the window._**

He shook his head and re-read what he'd just typed. _How dumb do you WANT them to think you are, Frank? _Backspacing again, he began to type the first thoughts that came to his head.

**_Could you guys come up to Joe's room? I want to go tell Nancy that I love her_**

He blinked. _Heck no. Backspace, dude!_

**_Enter_**

Another blink.

**_Message sent!_**

Two blinks. A face palm. _Frank Hardy, you did NOT just send that message!_

"Undo! UNDO SEND!" Frank yelped, frantically punching the buttons on his phone.

"Frank? Are you okay?"

He looked up to see Joe looking at him strangely. Embarrassed, Frank sat back down in his armchair meekly. "Yeah. I'm good."

_Please don't read it, please don't read it, PLEASE don't read it…!_

**_1 new message!_**

**_2 new messages!_**

Frank groaned.

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**Poor Frank. I feel ya.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay so I have a really really good excuse for why it took me so long to update. I was out of town for collectively about a month. Maybe more. But now I am back! So here is a chapter. By the way, max2013's threat in the reviews for Baltimore Raven's "The Cosmopolitan Virus" had absoluuuutely nothing to do with me actually sitting my butt down to update. I mean, it's not like people wanting me to update actually motivates me. Pffff why would you think that? (sarcasm intended. Y'all are scary...)**

**I do not own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. I do, however, own the character Dusk Herr. Well, she's kind of a shared character between a friend and I, and I decided I wanted to slip her into this story just for my own amusement.**

**Review please! Even if it's with threats on my life. I'll take what I can get...**

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Bess and George had appeared in Joe's room in record time. Frank didn't know what he'd said in answer to their rapid-fire questions, but now he was finally free and heading at a fast pace towards Nancy's room. The text had been halfway true – he _did _want to tell Nancy at some point. He already had in the helicopter, but she hadn't mentioned it since then. A part of Frank was afraid that her answer had been due to stress and all that had happened. What if she didn't really mean it anymore?

Well, even if he didn't get around to telling her during this conversation, there were more important things to tell her.

Joe was in danger again. And whoever the culprit was, Frank was going to stop them before they could lay a finger on his little brother.

Slowing a bit, Frank looked around. He'd been so deep in thought that he'd gone down the wrong hallway. He sighed in exasperation and turned around.

_Wham! _He bumped straight into someone, who yelped and stumbled backwards.

Reflexes had him by the girl's side in a flash catching her. Deep gray eyes framed by thick black lashes stared into his. Frank blinked. Wow, she was pretty.

Shaking his head a bit, Frank steadied her on her feet. She looked about his age, and the black hair framing those eyes cascaded down her back. The darkness of her hair accented her pale arms, revealed by a gray sundress that matched her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Frank asked, still catching his breath from the shock.

The girl nodded, a charming smile lighting up her features. "Yeah, thanks. Sorry I bumped into you."

"It was my fault. Where are you headed to?"

Her lips tightened in annoyance. "Well, I was trying to find room 320, but I got lost."

Frank chuckled. "Me too. I'm going to room 319, so we can walk together if you want."

"That would be great," The girl agreed. As they started to walk, she extended her hand. "I'm Dusk Herr."

_Fitting name. _"I'm Frank. Are you from around here?"

She shook her head. "Nope. I'm from Bridgeton, Nevada. I was here on vacation before –" Her face fell suddenly.

"Before…?" Frank asked softly.

Dusk sighed. "Sorry, but I really don't want to talk about it."

"It's okay," he smiled reassuringly.

"Do you mind if I ask what you're doing here?" Dusk ventured shyly. "You don't look like you have a disease or something."

"My brother was injured pretty badly in his leg a few days back. That's why I'm here. They're considering amputating about half of it, and I _really _hope there's another way," Frank swallowed, blinking rapidly for a second. _Keep it together._

"Wow," Dusk whistled softly, looking down. "That's horrible."

They turned another corner in the deserted hallway. Frank's eyes narrowed. _It's too quiet in here. Where is everyone?_

Suddenly hands grabbed him roughly by each arm. Frank drew in a breath to yell, but another hand clapped over his mouth.

Kicking, Frank struggled to get away. His captors, dressed all in black, dragged him to the left, into the stairwell.

_Where's Dusk? _The thought struck him as he was forced down the stairs. Glancing up and to his left, he saw people dressed all in black with ski masks bringing her down as well.

They descended three flights of stairs, and Frank fought the whole way, digging in his heels, trying to bite their fingers, twisting his arms and shoulders, and anything else he could think of. It was no use. These guys were strong, and there were three surrounding him.

At the bottom of the stairwell, Frank and Dusk were dragged into a storage closet. _No, no, please no, _Frank screamed inwardly. _They'll go after Joe. And Nancy. I know they will. I have to stop them!_

The brown-haired boy detective almost felt as if he were going insane. The thoughts turned over in his head again and again as he was tied up tightly. Helplessness filled Frank's mind, and he shouted desperately against his kidnapper's glove.

A needle sunk into his arm, and he knew no more.

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***Insert ominous music, probably from Her Interactive, here***


End file.
